An ultramarathoner is on the brink of an epic running feat in Essex County.
Chris Jaworski of Bloomfield said he has run every street in all but one of Essex County’s 22 municipalities and is currently making his way through Irvington, where he grew up and attended high school.
That’s 5,723 streets and 1,626 miles in the first 21 municipalities, concluding with 256 streets and 65 miles in Irvington, according to his records.
Jaworski, 66, is planning to conclude his county-wide run July 7 on 21st Street in Irvington, near his childhood home. His effort dates to 2013 but really ramped up during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic when Jaworski discovered CityStrides, a street-mapping app.
“I’ve got like nine streets left,” Jaworski said.
Jaworski’s goal of running every street in Essex County happened sort of by accident. In 2020, he began using CityStrides, which pulls in data from Strava and other GPS trackers to show a runner’s progress through a community.
“They take that data and outline it all in a huge map,” he said.
Jaworski said he was able to upload all of his runs dating to around 2013, when he signed up for Strava. From there, he said he set out to finish every street in the county, in addition to his regular runs that do not count toward his goal.
“I really wasn’t planning to do all of Essex County. It just felt like I should keep going,” said Jaworski.
He cited as an inspiration Ricky Gatens, who in 2018 ran every street in San Francisco, a feat that took 45 days and 1,317 miles.
Throughout, Jaworski has provided updates to his followers on Facebook.
“Yesterday I ran a bunch of miles and streets in Newark, and this morning I woke up body-tired and unmotivated,” he posted on March 17.
“The ‘street cheat sheet’ I’d prepared last night, however, kept pestering me. Finally, at 1:30 p.m., I threw on my running clothes and jumped in the car.”
He posted that he ran eight miles that day on 15 streets.
Jaworski’s admirers include Mark Washburne of Mendham, who has run every day since 1989 and is president of Streak Runners International.
“It’s just amazing that he has set that goal for himself and he’s running all those roads. He’s got me thinking, maybe I should do Mendham,” Washburne said.
Jaworski said he runs less than in the past, at least 20 miles per week. His ultramarathoning resume includes a 100-mile race in Vermont in 2012, four 50-milers and “a whole bunch” of 50-kilometer (31-mile) races.
He said he usually runs alone.
Irvington has been much less of a logistical hurdle than Newark, the state’s largest city, which Jaworski said he finished on June 23. Newark was his biggest hurdle, with 929 streets and 368 miles.
“You run on some streets to get to other streets. There are dead ends. Sometimes you get a little disoriented and have to run around to get your bearings,” Jaworski said in recounting his journey.
Jaworski is a 1976 graduate of Irvington High School and has lived in Bloomfield since 1989. He lives with his wife, Jeanette, and brother, Michael.
He is senior managing editor for a medical communications company.
He said he has no plans to duplicate his Essex County running adventure in another county.
“I like that there’s a beginning and an end to this,” he said.
Please subscribe now and support the local journalism you rely on and trust.
Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
